Kinderkrieg
by Jubalii
Summary: In the grand scheme of things that seems to go awry at Hellsing, Seras Victoria being a pint-sized 'pire tops the list! However, Alucard, Integra, and Walter must rush against time to turn her back to her natural age before her instincts fully take over, lest she be terminated for the greater good.
1. Prologue

In the bustling streets of London, no one really had time to spare. Adults hurried by at a breakneck pace, dragging along whining children as they distractedly planned the next item on their agenda. No one had time to notice the dirty, itty-bitty child that wandered alone in the hurried crowds.

She looked barely old enough to walk, and didn't say a word to anyone as she plodded along at her own pace, occasionally stopping to stare into the spellbinding window displays of toy shops. Her hair was a matted tangle of sunshine that fell into her face and hid her strange eyes, which were a strange orange-red color. She was wearing what appeared to be the top to a woman's military uniform, roped off at the waist with a black belt. It hung loosely on her and made her look more frail and waif-like then she would have been otherwise.

The child rubbed her nose absently as she turned from the display of dollies and tin soldiers to look at the tall Metro map that sat in a lighted, square-shaped plastic holder. She cocked her head, resembling a lost puppy as she carefully traced the red line that marked the route the train took before nodding to herself and continuing her aimless path.

* * *

The girl didn't mind the cold as she walked. It was much better than the humid, stuffy air of the sunlit hours, and it reminded her of her Sire's chambers in the bottom of their house. She stopped as the thought reminded her of her mission: she was supposed to be finding her way home! She sniffed and looked around at the tall buildings, trying to remember if any of them looked familiar to her.

In the back of her mind, something was warning her that she was slipping away more and more with each passing second; that she knew how to read and talk and she was supposed to be finding her way to the manor before the spell took full effect. She scratched her head and looked over to see another tall, annoyingly bright sign. It had the letters M-E-T-R-O. That spelled…hmm, what _did _that spell? The girl smiled and traced the red stripe that was the color of food. _Yum, food_. Her tummy made an angry noise and she hurried down the streets with renewed vigor. She had to hurry and find out where her Sire was. He'd give her hot, delicious food.

Running around the corner, the girl's sensitive eyes were overwhelmed by the flashing lights of the city. She backed off into a dark alleyway. The dim light was more than enough for her to see by as she moved around boxes and rubbish bins. Her nose picked up lots of different smells, none of them the scrumptious iron odor that spoke of a hot meal. She passed a man and woman doing something strange in the corner, ignoring them as she slipped through a crack into an adjoining alley. A man was sleeping on a box and the girl walked over and sniffed his neck hesitantly. Her nose wrinkled and she backed away; the man's blood smelt funny and he was clearly almost dead. Dead blood wasn't good blood.

Hearing something strange and muffled coming from a building, the girl craned her head up to stare at the occasional flashing lights coming from the upstairs windows. One of the windows shattered and the girl ducked into the doorway out of the way as glass shattered down. The smell of fresh blood and something dusty permeated the air and the girl sniffed appreciatively. If her Sire was nowhere to be found, she'd simply have to find a snack herself. She pushed open the door, which was ajar, and made her way inside the empty building. Looking inside at the big machines, the girl was reminded of stories of monsters that she'd been told at the orphanage. For a moment, the child tried to remember what an orphanage was. She shrugged and began her search for the stairs, the errant thought already forgotten.

* * *

She'd gotten lost and wound up in the basement instead of upstairs. By the time she'd cried, brushed herself off, and retried the sounds from above her had ceased. She peeked back above at the big-machine-room to smell candles, aftershave, and something that smelled utterly repugnant but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. Big boots passed by her head and she ducked down as the source of the smell walked out the door. The clomping noises were lost among the sounds of the city and the girl finally deemed it safe to come out.

She followed the odor trail left behind by Big-boots and found the stairs that led _up _instead of _down. _She rubbed her bum and made a face as she filed away the newfound knowledge that stairs could hurt when you tripped and fell down them. She made it halfway up the stairs when a new, yummy scent washed over her. She stopped, tilting her head up and closing her eyes as she broke apart the different aromas that made the fragrance. Gunpowder, ink, flowery-something-or-other, spice, and shoe-polish. She opened her eyes again and smiled; now crawling up the stairs as fast as she could. She peered around the archway to see long, blonde hair and a crisp uniform kicking at a pile of ash.

* * *

Almost dancing in glee, she ran with her arms out to crash into the sweet smelling blood-bag. She was about to sink her fangs into the pants-clad leg when something caught her back and she was swung into the air to come face to face with a new enemy. The man was looking sternly at her and wore a broken set of glasses, with only one lens covering his face. She heard something in the air and looked around to see thin wires going around the room. She twisted around in an effort to watch them dance and crowed happily, clapping her hands. The new enemy must be a magician! She turned back and looked at him again. Now that she thought about it, she knew her enemy. He was a friend of her Sire, wasn't he? Well, if he was a friend than she couldn't eat him.

"Miss Victoria?" her captor said, sounding surprised. The girl looked at him blankly before something flashed in her mind. _Oh, my name is Victoria! Is he talking to me? _She smiled at him friendlily and kicked her feet in the air, trying to show that she wanted down. He looked over to the lady blood-bag, who was staring in shock before her face twisted angrily and she stomped a foot in the pile of ash.

"_**Alucard!**_" she shouted and the girl covered her ears and screeched. _Too loud! _The lady made a face as the shadows in the room swirled and a red-clad man appeared from the wall. The girl caught the smell and frantically tried to burst free from the man's hold on her to get to her Sire. When that failed, she whimpered and held out her arms, calling for him to hold her. Her Sire took off his sunglasses and stared wide-eyed at her before crossing the room and taking her from her captor. She wrapped her legs around his waist and nestled into the groove of his arm underneath the heavy cloak. Working deeper into the outfit she managed to straddle him piggyback and with her arms around his neck, only her head and eyes sticking out. _Hungry,_ she insisted and her little claws barely scratched the skin of his neck, seeking attention. He shifted to hold her legs still on his waist, turning his head slightly to meet her eyes.

_Soon, _he answered, making a "be-quiet" motion with his hand before walking over to the lady blood-bag and the magician.

"Alucard, what is the meaning of this? What is wrong with Seras?" the lady shouted again, and the girl ducked her head back into the coat. That lady was mad at her, she could tell. It was nice and warm in the cloak, so she snuggled against her Sire's back and fell asleep, no longer worrying about her angry tummy. He'd wake her when he decided it was time for a meal.

* * *

Integra paced the floor of her office, trying to understand what her servant was telling her. She sighed and pulled a cigar from her pocket, nodding to Walter when he came over with a light. She puffed and took another look at the toddler wrapped up in Alucard's cloak, fast asleep on his lap. She'd been looking over a particularly hard mission for her men when she'd felt something on her leg. Turning around, the only thing she had seen was a sharp set of fans and a head of blonde hair. If Walter hadn't been there, she'd have been a vampire by now.

"So it was a spell, caused by the FREAKs she was fighting and now she's a child." Integra ran a hand over her face, looking at the peaceful expression on the baby vampire's.

"Basically. Apparently, the FREAKS are experimenting with the same sort of rituals that your ancestors did. While the Hellsing family managed to harness and control the powers in the name of God, these FREAKs didn't have such luck. Some of the latent magic has seemed to rub off on Miss Victoria, and now she's a child," Walter said as he eyed the girl with a considering glare. "I believe I have some of your old clothing stored in the attics. Perhaps she can wear them until we get all this sorted out."

"I understand that, but I don't comprehend how she can't communicate, or why she would try and bite me!" Integra rubbed her leg absently as she shuddered, remembering the gleam of dainty fangs in a darkened building. Alucard nodded and gestured to the blonde hair of the girl in his lap.

"Small children run on instincts before morals. I'm afraid the Police Girl's _educated_ mind has been thrown on the backburner while instinct has taken over." He rubbed the locks affectionately. "And, being her creator I understand her perfectly." His gaze grew serious. "This is why vampires don't create our own kind out of children. They cannot function properly and they'll never grow out of it. Children will always be children-while that's interesting for a while, in the long run it's both a danger and a pain."

"Well, what can we do to fix it? I want every document that can help us reverse this on my table tomorrow morning." Walter jumped to attention and bowed before running off to fulfill orders. Alucard also took his leave, carrying the tiny thing to his chambers for a well-needed meal.

* * *

**Afterword:** I doubt this will be a long story at all. Three, maybe four chapters at the most.


	2. Doggie

"Sir Integra, from your reaction one could jump to many conclusions," Sir Irons' harsh voice was suspicious as he listened to Integra's half-assed excuses. The woman in question gritted her teeth, searching around the room for a feasible reason that the Round Table Conference couldn't be held at her manor that night. She bit her lip and sighed almost inaudibly. It wasn't as if she could tell Sir Irons the truth: that would be just as bad as admitting that she had no control over her supernatural servant and his fledgling.

"Well, it's just that I have a…situation at the moment that requires my full attention." At the pause in the conversation (which foretold of a lengthy lecture about putting her priorities straight) Integra grabbed the bull by the horns. "However, I'm sure I can work my schedule around to play hostess to the Conference tonight."

"Good. Expect us to arrive at 8:00 sharp." The line clicked as he hung up and Integra scowled, feeling like flipping her desk over and ripping her hair out. _I'm in desperate need of a holiday_. She rubbed her pounding temples and paged Walter to the room with the button on her desk. In record time he appeared with his usual bow.

"Ah, Sir Integra. Have you finished your social call?" he asked politely. Integra bit back her snappy comment; it would do no good to punish Walter for the elder Knight's rude behavior. At the look on her face, Walter sniffed and cleaned his monocle on his apron. "Forgive me for not having the paperwork you asked for. It seems your ancestors didn't keep a very good record of pagan rites they may or may not have known of." He gave her a knowing glance and she shook her head.

"Never mind that now; the Conference will be here at 8:00 for a dinner. We have to prepare." Walter gave her an astonished look and she bowed her head guiltily. "I had no other choice but to accept the command. I can't tell him that I have an unbound train-wreck of an infant vampire running the halls." She felt a hand on her shoulder and glanced up to see the old man's smile.

"Well, I suppose Alucard will have to do the research himself. We have a dinner to plan." He gave her a determined look and turned to leave the room. "I'll explain the situation to him as I serve him dinner. He's got his hands too full now to cause much trouble, so I believe that in the end this will be good for both of us." The butler waved cheerily and hurried out of the room. Integra smiled; the upbeat attitude _was_ sort of catching. She sat back at her desk and picked up the phone, beginning the long line of calls that had to be made to the kitchens, soldiers, and servants in order to have everything ready in 3 hours.

* * *

Seras sat quietly, moving in rhythm with the heavy strokes as her Sire brushed the knots out of her hair. He'd used his shadows to remove any trace of gore and dirt, leaving her squeaky clean. She watched happily in the dusty mirror as the tangles smoothed out into a bouncy blonde mane. Hearing the door open, she turned her head without thinking and squealed when the gilded brush pulled at a particularly hard knot. She clutched her head and whimpered, quieting when her Sire laid his gloved hand across the tender scalp and rubbed gently, diffusing the pain. Able to think again, she looked to see it was the magician, carrying a box and a bucket.

_**Walter**_, her Sire corrected in her mind and she nodded as she pushed herself off of the dresser and ran towards the new source of entertainment in her room. The magi-Walter smiled as he sat the box down and handed her something out of the bucket. She frowned at the cold pack in her hand before realizing that it was food. She sniffed it warily before trying to puncture the thick plastic with her tiny fangs. It didn't work the way skin did, instead shifting in her hands like a rubber band every time she sank her teeth into it. Growling in frustration, she held the stubborn food up and her Sire smiled indulgently before biting open the side of the pack with one fang and handing it back to her. She drank the cold blood, letting it slosh in her mouth for a moment as she appraised the taste. It was a little stale and made her mouth numb with the cold, but it wasn't bad. She decided that although she liked hot blood better, this stuff was okay too. She finished the meal quickly, dropping the empty bag on the ground and looking up at the two grown-ups, who were arguing over the box.

"Red. I want her to wear red," her Sire was telling Walter angrily. She offered a helpful growl at the man, irritated that someone would try and anger her maker. Walter looked down for a moment before shaking his head and holding up something ugly and pink.

"Little girls wear pink. That's the way it is." Seras wrinkled her nose at the offending garment before ignoring the adults and peeking inside the box for herself. It smelled of time and dust, like they'd been sitting in one spot for years and never aired. She pulled out a pretty blue scrap of cloth that unfolded to be a plain pinafore. She fingered the soft, over-worn cloth gently and held it up to the men.

_This! This! _she told her Sire. The man eyed the cloth before shaking his head. _**You should have something red, Childe**__. _She shook her head and handed him the blue pinafore before digging in the box again. She pulled out a light green, long-sleeved shirt and held it up as well despite the large hole in the seam. _This! This! _Walter took the shirt and fingered the hole pensively before reaching into the pocket of his apron. He pulled out a needle and some white thread before fixing the seam with three deft strokes.

"I think that the outfit would go well with Miss Victoria's hair, Alucard." When the vampire made a move to argue, he held up a hand. "Besides, you don't want the girl to have a temper tantrum. I remember Miss Integra running through the house in her undies whenever her father forced her into something, simply because she refused to wear it." Alucard considered the energetic girl at his feet before nodding slowly. _**If that is what you wish, Childe; so be it.**_

Walter motioned for Seras to come over and helped her out of her oversized uniform shirt. He pulled the green shirt over her hair before steadying her as she stepped into the pinafore, wrapping it around her arms snugly. "A perfect fit, but it's missing something." The two men studied the girl before them before Walter snapped his fingers. "Of course!" He fished around in the box and came up with a tiny pair of panties and some poufy, oversized white bloomers. Seras sat back with her feet in the air and he wiggled them onto her legs. When she turned back right-side-up, the bloomers allowed her pinafore to fall in a more flattering way down her body. Seras tore away from him to go back over to the dresser. She jumped up and down a few times, trying to see herself in the mirror. When that didn't work, she ran back over and tugged on her Sire's long coat, pointing at what she wanted. He picked her up and sat her feet on the dresser long enough for her to gage her new outfit before placing her back on the ground and motioning for her to come along. _**We have much to do tonight, Seras. **_

"Alucard, wait!" Walter turned from where he was putting a bottle of wine from the bucket onto the table. "The Conference is coming for dinner tonight, so Integra has decided that you'll be doing the research on how to turn Seras back into a young woman." He backed away a few paces at the look of rage that crossed the vampire's face.

"What?" Alucard snarled. "I'm to read every damn thing those humans wrote? I think not. I lived through it once; I'm not going back again." Walter shrugged and looked pointedly at Seras.

"If we cannot turn her back in time, I'm afraid Sir Integra will be forced to exterminate the child," he stated apathetically, drawing out the dreaded word as he eyed the girl. He was Hellsing's former trash man after all; if he was ordered, it would be nothing for him to turn his love of the Draculina off long enough to kill her and simply mourn later. A part of the old man wondered what Alucard would do if such an occasion arose. Would he be mournful at the loss of his fledgling? Alucard curled his lip in disgust before looking back at Seras.

"And who, pray tell, will watch the child while I'm busy looking through dead men's notes?" Walter smiled and whistled a tune as he turned and left with the box of clothing in hand. Seras smiled and sang along in her mind, not caring where she'd remembered the song from: _Oh where, oh were has my little dog gone?_

_**Under the table, my Childe, **_Alucard responded as he snapped his fingers. Sure enough, a massive black shadow emerged from under the table and amassed itself into a canine form, eyes swirling all over its body for a moment before settling onto its face. Seras stared with her jaw dropped before squealing in glee and running straight for the monstrous creature, seemingly unafraid. She threw her chubby arms around its neck and jumped in place. _Doggiedoggiedoggiedoggiedoggie! _

"Woof," the dog answered with his thick tail wagging as he licked the giggling girl. Her Sire picked her up under her arms and sat her on the dog's back before leaning over and grabbing the drool covered chin, bringing the red eyes up to meet his own.

"You had better watch her well, mutt. If I catch wind of _anything_, anything at all, there will be things worse than Hell that you'll have to contend with." The hellhound ruffed in agreement and set out through the open door, carrying the child down the hall like a mule at a carnival.

* * *

Soldiers moved out of the way in the halls as they curiously watched the child riding a hellish shadow down the hall. A scrubby youth scratched his chin and motioned to his captain.

"I'd heard the rumors, but I didn't think that they were true," he said, slightly in awe. The red-nosed captain nodded and crossed his arms, his gaze never leaving the corner where the strange pair had disappeared.

"Yes, it seems they are. She's actually sort of an endearing little thing, isn't she? Reminds me a bit of my own granddaughter."

Seras swung her legs happily as the doggie carried her down the endless halls. The tall, funnily-dressed men were watching her and smiling; she felt like she was in a parade! She held her head high and tried to be like a beautiful lady, riding on her black horse down the streets of a village. All of her "admirers" moved out of the way and let her pass. The dog walked on past the foyer and down a side hall and she turned her head, hearing the lady blood-bag's voice coming from behind a closed door. She had the strangest urge to play a fun game with the woman; maybe if she had someone to play with, she wouldn't sound so angry all the time! She tugged the doggie's long ear and he turned slightly to see what she wanted before trying to continue on. She whined, jumping up and down on his back. What a bad horsy, not doing what its master told him to!

She slid off the tail of the massive beast and ran away, giggling as the animal gave chase. When she reached the door, she didn't notice the slight step-up one had to take to get into the office and tripped. The motion sent her flying and all the soldiers in the area cringed, seeing the airborne child was about to slam face first into the door. To their relief, at the moment her nose met the door her body shivered and the child went through the hard oaken obstacle.

Seras landed on her hands and knees, her red eyes widening as the jolt rocked her body. She whimpered and her face crumpled before she realized that she was okay after all. Looking around, she took in the large, mostly-empty room. The checkerboard floor tiles, the paintings on the wall, and across the room a large desk where the lady blood-bag was staring at her. She felt her face color at being caught on her hands and knees like a doggie… like a doggie! Seras smiled and gave a couple of barks towards the woman, who looked as though she were about to either duck down behind the desk or jump out the window. When she wasn't acknowledged, the child picked herself up and ran over to the desk before sitting at the woman's feet and panting like a dog.

"What's the matter with you?" the lady blood-bag asked her. Seras frowned; hadn't she ever seen a doggie before? Should she bring in her own doggie and show the lady what she was doing? It turned out she didn't have to. The shadowy animal barreled through the door, frantic in its search for its charge. It saw the girl and barked angrily. Seras growled and barked back, which floored the animal for a moment. She took the opportunity to crawl up in the lady blood-bag's lap and take a look at what she was doing. If the woman wouldn't play pretend with her, they'd just have to find some other game to play together.

She looked at the paper-strewn desk, picking up a piece of paper and a pencil from the clutter. She'd draw the lady a pretty picture to hang with the others on the wall! The woman wrestled the items out of her hands, shaking her head.

"No! No, you can't be playing with that! Oh, where's your damned master?!" Seras blinked as she felt the lady calling her Sire with magic. _Wow, this lady is always angry with me. What did I do? _She pressed a tiny hand to the woman's cheek, her face filled in apologetic concern. _I didn't mean to make her mad. I just wanted-_she felt the tears at the corners of her eyes and her face twisted once more- _I just wanted to draw a pretty picture! _She burst into sudden tears, rubbing the red streams out of her eyes. She felt the lady jerk back before roughly grabbing her forearms, making the child cry harder. She set her up on the desk and yelled loudly for her Sire, who had appeared in the room as well to find out what in the hell was going on.

"Look at this-ugh, my shirt's all bloody now. Listen to me, vampire. If you can't keep a reign on your little fledgling during this dinner so help me-" Seras couldn't stop crying, even when her Sire picked her up off the lady's desk. _She's a-sniff- a big meanie! I wanted to draw! _The child clung to her maker and cried unashamedly. She felt the air ripple around them and opened her eyes to find herself in a room full of books. She was set down on a table and her Sire pulled a scrap of cloth from his cloak and dried her face.

_**Quit that infernal whimpering, Childe. You were very naughty, not staying with the dog. **_She sniffed once more for dramatic purposes before crossing her arms and pouting. She didn't care if she was naughty. That lady didn't know how to play nice, so why wasn't she getting a time-out or something? It wasn't fair! Her Sire tried to pull her chin up to look at her and she twisted out of his grip with a whine, turning around on the table with her back to him. He was a grown-up, so he didn't understand!

She squeaked as her Sire picked her up by the collar of her shirt like she was a kitten. _Oh wait; I am a kitten, aren't I? Nope, I guess not. I'm a vampire. _He deposited her in a fluffy armchair and handed her a large book. Opening it up, she looked at the pretty pictures of princes and princess, and ugly old witches. She giggled, imagining the lady blood-bag dressed up like a witch with ugly green skin. Satisfied that she was going to stay put for the time being, her Sire returned to the table and picked up an old notebook of sorts, opening it with a frown and taking off his glasses in order to see the pages better.

Seras flipped through the pages, knowing the stories even though she couldn't read the words. There was Cinderella, leaving her glass slipper for the prince to find. There was Sleeping Beauty, waiting for her true love to wake her from her slumber. Turning another page, she found her most favorite tale of all; Beauty and the Beast. The picture on the page was of a terrifying beast, and a pretty young girl holding his hand in a garden. She smiled and looked at the picture below it, of the happy new Princess and the Beast, who had been turned back into a Prince. She smiled happily and jumped down from the seat, walking over and tugging her Sire's long clothes. He looked down at her impatiently as she held up the book and showed him the picture. _My favorite! _She explained happily, letting him look at the pretty images on the paper. _I wanna be a pretty princess someday too! _The red-clad man smirked and turned slightly to address her directly.

"Oh, you do? And what if you find out that the prince _enjoys_ being a beast? What then? He'll gobble you up in two bites." He snapped his fangs in a mocking parody. Seras took her book back and stared up at him blankly. He was talking about grown-up things again and she didn't understand him. She shrugged and smiled down at the picture once more before turning the page and looking at the wooden puppet that was Pinocchio. Her master growled under his breath and turned back to his studies. "I'm quickly becoming bored. You're too young to tease."

* * *

"Hey you, vampire." Seras looked up at the familiar voice and recognized the candle-aftershave scent as Big-boots from yesterday. On closer look, it was a guy with a long braid and a funny accent. He had an eye patch. She gawked in awe as he carried a large stack of books over to her Sire and placed them on the table. _He must be a pirate! _she squawked in surprise. Her Sire snorted and looked over to the armchair, where his little Childe had finally planted herself with some spare paper and a pencil, using the fairytale book as a drawing desk. The "pirate" tilted his head and scratched his jaw as he eyed the tiny girl. "Is that really Seras Victoria? God above, Cher but I didn't think you could get any cuter." He grinned and walked over, kneeling by her chair. She pushed her drawings to the side and opened the book, intent on showing the pirate-man the pictures. She turned to Snow White and lifted the book with a happy grin. He returned her smile with a toothy grin of his own and peered over at the dark-haired lady on the cover.

"Ah, what a pretty picture! Do you like Snow White?" he deferred to the simpering coo that most people use when talking to small children, as if he didn't know this was really an eternally nineteen-year-old woman. The girl nodded and pointed to the letters that covered the top of the page. Pip looked at them for a moment before turning back to the unamused vampire at the table. "The butler said that those were for you. Since you're busy, I can take the mignonette with me for a while; keep her out of your way." Alucard scoffed and turned back to the new stack of books, not bothering to answer. The Frenchman smiled and turned back to the girl. "What do you say, Cher? Want to come with Mr. Pip and see the Wild Geese? I bet that they'd like to read the stories with you." Seras giggled and lifted her arms and Pip grabbed her in one arm and the book in the other, setting off to find his mercenaries.

* * *

"The huntsman felt so sad for poor Snow White, and he didn't want to kill the pretty little girl. So, he took her deep into the woods and told her about the evil Queen's plot, and how her stepmother wanted to eat her heart." Pip glanced up around the room as he read, laughing to himself. Even though his men had tried to tease him about "playing Mommy", and they all refused to read the book to the expectant little girl, he knew better than to believe them. Even though they all pretended like they were busy doing something else, he could tell they were listening with growing interest. He may have only one eye left, but that was all he needed to see the glances that were being thrown his way at every plot twist. Some had even given up the charade and were sitting with their head in their hands, listening to him talk. _Oh, you men. Toughest guys in all of Europe and still you sit and listen to children's stories? _

Seras smiled and listened to Mr. Pip read her the stories. He was a good reader, making voices for the different characters. He made her laugh with the evil stepmother's growling voice, or the high pitched squeaking of Snow White's character. She leaned up against him and turned the pages, making sure he didn't try and skip over parts of the story like some grown-ups liked to do.

"And when the prince kissed the sleeping Snow White, the spell was broken and she woke up to see herself surrounded by her friends. The prince took her back to his castle, and they lived happily ever after. The End." Seras nodded in satisfaction and closed the book, hopping off of Mr. Pip's lap to go put it away on a table. She came back and stood at his side, ready to do something else.

"Lord, but she's an energetic one, huh? Maybe we should take her outside and let her blow off some steam before she gets into trouble again," a man who had the same color hair as she did said. She stopped and looked at him before nodding quickly. Yes, she wanted to go play outside!

"Well, there's an answer for you!" Mr. Pip said with a laugh. "C'mon men. We need some exercise anyway." The mercenaries obediently stood and all of the men followed the skipping girl out onto the back lawn. Pip made sure that they were far enough away from the shooting range before allowing the child to let go of his hand and run around. "Well, I suppose we better spread out and keep an eye on her."

* * *

Walter looked out onto the lawn. It took everything he had not to laugh at the sight before him. The Wild Geese were all running as fast as they could, zigzagging around to try and avoid Seras as she sprinted between them in a vague resemblance of tag. Despite their earlier misgivings, it seemed that they were all having at least a small measure of fun as they tripped up and desperately tried to outrun the child, who despite her small size still retained her vampiric speed and reflexes.

"What are they doing?" The butler turned to see Alucard looking strangely at the men floundering around on the field, kicking up dust in their relentless efforts to escape a two-year-old.

"Surely even you played games as a child, Alucard." Walter smiled, trying to imagine a tiny Alucard running around with other boys playing games in a medieval town. "They're just playing tag with Seras; in an effort to tire her out, I'm sure. But I wonder who will be tired first?" He smiled as the child brought Captain Bernadotte to his knees in an effective tackle, the pair laughing as he rolled her off of his legs.

"I assure you I did _not_ belittle myself in such a fashion. It seems so…" Alucard couldn't seem to find the right word, instead his face twisting in repulsion. "They're just embarrassing themselves in front of each other."

"Not at all. It's quite fun. I remember a few times in my earliest youth, playing such carefree playground games. And I played them again with Sir Integra when she was a little girl. I doubt I could get out there now, though." The man rubbed his thigh absently. "My hips seem to be getting worse every year."

Hearing her Sire, Seras stopped running and turned to see Walter and her creator watching the game. It was fun, running around and trying to catch the men, who weren't quite as fast as her, but they could turn a lot quicker. She hopped over Mr. Pip, who was still on the ground and ran over to see what her Sire wanted from her, if anything. He looked down at her and his lips disappeared into a thin line.

_**Look at you, Childe. You're covered in scrapes and dirt, and your clothing is messy now. You look like a little urchin. **_Seras looked down at herself to see that he was right. She'd tripped up some and fallen in the dirt, so her clothes and legs were all dusty and covered in grass stains. _**I thought you wanted to be a princess. Princesses don't run around like peasant children do. **_She shrugged and dusted off her dress with both hands.

_I had fun, _she declared, as if that made the whole thing okay. _Mr. Pip read me a story and we played Chase-the-Gooses. _She tried to grasp his hand like Mr. Pip let her do and he pulled it away. _**Well, Childe. You're in need of a real bath this time, so Walter is going to get you ready for bed. It's time for good children to settle down for the evening. **_She stomped her foot and growled under her breath. _I don't wanna go inside and take a bath! I wanna stay out here and play some more! _Her Sire growled back, a scary sound that made her stop in her tracks.

_** Don't try my patience, little girl. You will listen to what I say. Now go with Walter this instant! **_She trembled, feeling her tears coming back and wiped her eyes quickly, grabbing the old man's hand and letting him lead her away. It wouldn't do any good to end the night with a spanking.


	3. Mother

Seras laughed happily as she watched the bubbles float slowly up to the ceiling, their iridescent colors swirling beneath translucent skin. Walter smiled from his spot across the room, where he'd brought a book in to read while Seras played in the tub. Seras thought it must have been a boring book, since there weren't any bright colors or funny pictures but Walter seemed to enjoy it so she let him be and busied herself with making shapes in the white froth that surrounded her.

"Come now, Miss Victoria. It's time to get out of the tub," Walter said as he checked the time on the old fashioned clock sitting on the shelf above the towel rack. Seras shook her head and tried to hide amidst the bubbles, looking like a rather put-out octopus under its rocks. Walter frowned before shrugging, looking appraisingly at the little vampire in the claw-foot tub. "Alright then, if you're not afraid of becoming a wet prune. Your skin will shrivel up and you'll be forced to stay in the water forever, or you'll dry up and turn into dust!" He gave her a mock air of horror before turning to leave the room. "But if that's what you want, I can't stop you." Seras lifted her head as he shut the door, leaving her alone in the bathroom. She frowned and considered the bubbles around her. She wouldn't turn into a prune. That was impossible. She wasn't food, she was a little girl.

Still…. She pulled her hands out of the water to sit them on the side of the tub, catching sight of her wrinkly fingers. Oh no! She panicked, scrubbing at her hands to smooth out the skin. Walter was right! She was shriveling up; the transformation had already started! _Oh no-oh no-oh no-oh_, why hadn't she listened to the wise old magician man? He'd known what he was talking about! Tears formed at the edges of her eyes and she shrieked helplessly. Now, she'd never be able to leave the stupid old tub again, just because of some bubbles!

Walter opened the door and stuck his head back inside the room to peer at the slightly hysterical child, trying to hold in his laughter. She looked at him and held up her hands wordlessly, her panicked visage trembling with unshed tears.

"Ah, so it's started then? Well, it's still not too late; perhaps I can save you if you want to come out of the tub now?" Seras nodded vigorously and tried to pull herself out of the tub. Walter grabbed her arms and helped her, catching her in a big, fluffy towel and rubbing her hair until it was dry and sticking up all over the place. He helped her into a pretty green nightgown that buttoned up in a weird way around her neck. She tugged at the collar as he placed her on the toilet seat to comb her hair. Looking in the mirror, she giggled at the tangled mess. It looked like her Sire's hair, all messy and sticking out in funny places. She jerked in surprise as the comb hit a snag, and Walter clucked and began working on unraveling the fine strands. "You've certainly got yourself a rat's nest in there tonight." Seras looked up at him with wide eyes. When did a rat have time to make a nest in her hair?! Was it when she was outside?

* * *

Seras was all alone in a big field. She hadn't seen the field before, but it was pretty and covered in long, wavy flowers. She didn't know where she was, but she wasn't scared. She started walking through the grass; it was so tall, she could barely see over the tops of the waving strands. She began to run forward, sure that she was going to find something soon to interest her in the big plain.

And she was right! She soon reached a clearing and saw a boy. He was a bit older than her, but he was still a_ little_ boy, so maybe he would like to play with her. She giggled and ran to his side. Grabbing his hand, she tugged him around to face her, laughing quietly at his weird clothes. He wore pants and boots so even with his long hair; she knew he must be a boy. He looked at her with wide blue eyes, watching silently as she tugged his hands in an effort to make him play with her.

Maybe he didn't understand what she meant? She needed a… looking around; she found a plain brown ball lying in the grass not too far away. She ran over and motioned for him to get ready. He didn't move, still staring at her with a strange expression. Sighing, she threw the ball, half-expecting him to let it hit him in the head. To her surprise, he caught it, the ricochet knocking him back slightly. He looked at the ball before dropping it on the ground. Seras made a disgruntled noise. Didn't he know how to play?

The boy spoke to her, but it was in some weird gibberish she didn't understand. Somehow, she knew he was asking her something, but she just shrugged and ran over to get the ball from his feet. Running back to her spot, she tried again to get him interested in a game of catch. He caught the ball when she threw it, and she looked expectantly when he stared at her with an irritated expression. He repeated the gibberish, shaking the ball for emphasis. Seras didn't know what to do, so she smiled and waved for him to throw the ball back to her.

The boy made an angry sound and threw the ball-threw it hard into the waving grass. He ran over and grabbed Seras' shoulders, shaking her roughly and yelling his weird language into her face. She became scared and smacked at his hands, shaking her head. _Let me go! Let me go, you big meanie!_ She didn't want to play anymore! She wanted her mommy!

* * *

Seras opened her eyes and let out a tiny whimper, realizing she wasn't in her Sire's coffin anymore. She was under a table, with a lot of legs around her. Specifically, she was sitting in between two legs, and the others were on down the table. _How did I get here? _Sniffing cautiously, she caught the whiff of the lady blood-bag, whose legs were the ones on either side of her face. There were other, unfamiliar scents belonging to the other legs. She realized that she must have come to the lady blood-bag because she had cried for her mommy like a silly baby. It wasn't too late, though. If she was quiet, maybe she could get out of the way before any of the other blood-bags saw her. Something told her it wouldn't be good if she were spotted.

She placed a hand over her mouth and began to move forward slowly, wondering how she was supposed to get out from under the table. If the lady blood-bag noticed her, she'd be yelled at for sure, and the other people didn't sound too friendly. In fact, they were all fighting over something and she paused mid-crawl when a fist slammed against the table. A pair of fat legs rearranged themselves and almost smacked her in the face, and she fell backwards, right on top of the lady blood-bag's boots. She felt the woman freeze and looked up in time to see the lady blood-bag looked down discreetly.

The blue eyes widened as she saw what was lying on top of her legs, almost bugging out of her head. Seras carefully pulled a finger up to her lips. If the lady didn't yell, she'd be quiet too and they'd find a way to get her out of here together. The lady blood-bag nodded carefully and wrapped her long legs around Seras, effectively trapping her and keeping her still. Seras sat obediently; the lady apparently didn't want her moving around under the table too much. Seras agreed- the other pairs of legs might try to attack her again, and she'd hate to have to bite.

"I say Sir Integra, is something the matter?" A voice asked in concern, but Seras could hear something else in there. It sounded like the lady blood-bags friends were big meanies too, but weren't friends supposed to be nice to each other? It sounded almost like they were bullying her. Seras wanted to growl and bare her fangs at all the meanies in the room. If her Sire had been under the table with her here, she might just have been brave enough to do it.

"Ah, er-nothing at all. There's just a little mouse that ran across my foot, I think." The woman's voice sounded scared. The men all picked up their feet and murmured to themselves. "I'll get Alucard to come in later and take care of it."

"Nonsense. I'm good with mice, and your vampire will just shoot up the whole damn place." The fat legs rolled out from under the table, despite the woman's sputtering protests and a fat face replaced them as a sweaty man looked directly at Seras. He stayed quiet for a moment and Seras put a hand to her mouth in an effort not to squeak. "What the devil?" A sweaty palm grabbed her nightgown and dragged her out from under the table to hold her in the air, kicking and trying to escape the hold. "Sir Integra, this is your…_mouse_, I presume?" She turned to see the lady blood-bag looking panicked and glancing quickly between her and the phone on the desk.

"Yes, I suppose. It's not what it looks like, it's just that-" Long slender fingers inched towards the receiver and the angry looking old geezer at the other side of the table stood and made his way to where she hung in the air.

"Look here, Integra. I don't know whose child this is, but-" The man looked her in the eyes and his face turned stony. "What in the… Sir Integra. Do you have any control over your servant at all? How dare you allow him to create a _child _vampire?!" He turned angrily to look at the woman. "Your ancestors have told us all too well why children should never be vampires! Have you no decency; we are Christians here!" The lady blood-bag turned five different shades of green before letting out an undignified squeak.

"I can explain, really! She's not a child at all," The man had stopped listening to her, and Seras stopped her escape efforts when the smell of something irony mixed with bitterness reached her nose. Looking behind her, she saw the old geezer holding a gun, his mustache flaring almost comically with his breaths. She froze and gasped, realizing what was going to happen.

"We can't have such a danger running around our organization. She must be exterminated." The other men murmured their agreement and Seras spun around in the air, frantically calling her Sire. She was in trouble, and no one was going to help her. She met the eyes of the last person who could possibly help her and held out her arms, reaching with all her might for the woman standing on the other side of the table. _Help me!_

"No!" Integra shouted, surprised at herself as she cleared the table and snatched the girl out of Sir Penwood's hand. "You won't kill her!" She couldn't understand this sudden surge of protectiveness that washed over her from out of nowhere; it was like something dormant had been unlocked from deep within her and she understood what it meant to care so deeply for another life. She wouldn't let them kill this baby!

"She's been brainwashed by the vampire! Get her!" Sir Irons howled angrily and the men surged forward, knocking each other over in an effort to catch the blonde who was running for the door. A moment later, the room was awash in shadow as Alucard burst through the floor, his eyes a dark crimson. His hair was long enough to curl on the floor, moving of its own accord. The elderly men reeled back in terror at the sight of the multi-eyed, demonically glowing being that stood before them.

"You dare threaten my childe? Do you have a death wish?" he roared. The men backed away from the two blondes clutching each other against the far wall, holding up their hands in defeat. Sir Irons was shouting at Integra to control the ancient vampire, and Sir Penwood was almost in tears at the sight. Alucard turned towards Integra, holding out his hands almost anxiously. Integra hesitated for a moment before turning around slowly, keeping Seras out of the range of gunfire and handing her over to the shadows. The men gawked as the tiny child eagerly held out her chubby arms to the vampire, ignoring the dark aura that seemed to emanate from every pore. Alucard turned with a low snarl and vanished into the floorboards, carrying the girl with him. Integra stared at the floor for a long moment before her legs gave way and she collapsed, her eyes unfocused.

"Wh-what happened?" Sir Penwood questioned after a long, silent moment. Sir Irons adjusted his glasses and shook his head.

"Vampire children have powers that work in different ways than we do. They can call forth a woman's motherly instincts in order for a human to protect them. Think of them like bear cubs; they're cute and you want to touch it, but the Sire is somewhere close by, and you can be sure he's keeping an eye out on her." He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "We're going to have a hard time exterminating that one. We may end up killing them both."


End file.
